AD 2004-15-02

This AD becomes effective September 1, 2004. The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the regulations as of September 1, 2004.

You can get the service information identified in this AD from Rolls-Royce plc, PO Box 31, Derby, England, DE248BJ; telephone: 011-44-1332-242424; fax: 011-44-1332-245418.

You may examine the AD docket at the FAA, New England Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA. You may examine the service information at the FAA, New England Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA; or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.

Christopher Spinney, Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine And Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park; Burlington, MA 01803-5299; telephone (781) 238-7175; fax (781) 238-7199.

The FAA proposed to amend 14 CFR Part 39 with a proposed AD. The proposed AD applies to Rolls-Royce plc models RB211 Trent 875-17, Trent 877-17, Trent 884-17, Trent 892-17, Trent 892B-17, and Trent 895-17 turbofan engines with LP compressor fan blades P/N FW18548 installed. We published the proposed AD in the Federal Register on October 23, 2003 (68 FR 60627). That action proposed to require LP compressor fan blade replacement with new or previously reworked blades, or rework of the existing LP compressor fan blades.

We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the development of this AD. We have considered the comments received.

One commenter requests that we add the Trent 884B-17 model to the AD applicability, as it is missing from the proposal.

We agree, and we have added the Trent 884B-17 model to applicability paragraph (c) and to Table 1. There are currently no U.S. operators of this engine model.

Two commenters request that we include a reference to RR Service Bulletin (SB) No. RB.211-72-E055, Revision 1, dated June 20, 2003, which contains source life information on the cycle limits specified in the proposal compliance section.

We agree, and we have added a reference to RR Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. RB.211-72-AE055, Revision 3, dated May 28, 2004, in paragraph (i) of the AD for informational purposes only.

RR revised SB No. RB.211-72-E055, Revision 2, to an Alert SB No. RB.211-72-AE055, Revision 3, issued on May 28, 2004. The bulletin changes the reference to Boeing 777-200IGW to Boeing 777-200ER as the IGW designation is old terminology. The revision also changes the limits from using the lowest limit on mixed model configurations to using a combination of the lives for mixed model configurations. We concur in part with the changes to the SB and have incorporated into the AD the changes that are pertinent. We also discovered that the Boeing 777-200IGW and 777-200ER models are not official, type-certified designations, so we removed reference to these models from the AD. The incorporated changes do not represent a substantive change in the AD compliance requirements and therefore do not require new notice of proposed rulemaking.

We have carefully reviewed the available data, including the comments received, and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD with the changes described previously. We have determined that these changes will neither increase the economic burden on any operator nor increase the scope of the AD.

There are about 350 RR models RB211 Trent 875-17, Trent 877-17, Trent 884-17, Trent 884B-17, Trent 892-17, Trent 892B-17, and Trent 895-17 turbofan engines of the affected design in the worldwide fleet. We estimate that 106 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry would be affected by this AD. We also estimate that it would take about 100 work hours per engine to perform blade rework, and that the average labor rate is $65 per work hour. Based on these figures, we estimate the total cost of the AD to U.S. operators to be $689,000.

We have determined that this AD will not have federalism implications under Executive Order 13132. This AD will not have a substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship between the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.

For the reasons discussed above, I certify that this AD:

(1) Is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866;

(2) Is not a “significant rule” under DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and

(3) Will not have a significant economic impact, positive or negative, on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

We prepared a summary of the costs to comply with this AD and placed it in the AD Docket. You may get a copy of this summary by sending a request to us at the address listed under ADDRESSES. Include “AD Docket No. 2003-NE-38-AD” in your request.

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):